July 24, 2008

Children in Coleford Are Doing Their Bit for the Environment

Pupils at a Forest of Dean school are doing their bit for the environment with a new renewable energy system.

Coalway Junior School has installed solar panels to convert the sun's energy into electricity for the school as well as a display on renewable energy.

Head teacher Fay White said everyone was delighted to have the eco-technology in place.

She said: "The children and the staff are very excited about having the photovoltaics installed.

"It fits in very well with projects that the students are currently doing about renewable energy."

The solar panels cost around pounds35,000 to install.

The school had wanted to put in a wind turbine but it would have been too close to the nearby houses.

Joan Nash, Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet member for schools, said : "This is a project which could be a learning exercise for the children in comparing savings over costs, as well as looking at the CO2 benefits."

The solar panels, known as photovoltaics, cover 36sq meters of the school's roof over two classrooms.

They are expected to generate 4,400 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, with some going back into the grid, which is an annual carbon saving of 2.3 tonnes - the same as a passenger's return flight to New York.